(CNN) - Geraldine Ferraro, the outspoken former Democratic vice presidential candidate and a supporter of Hillary Clinton's White House bid, told the New York Times she may not vote for Barack Obama should he be the party's nominee.

Ferraro, a former member of Clinton's finance committee who resigned that post earlier this year after making comments many viewed as racially offensive, also said she thinks the Illinois senator has been "terribly sexist" over the course of the presidential campaign.

The comments appear to underscore the potential difficulty Obama may have courting some women voters in the fall - many of whom have said they feel a solidarity with the New York senator over the barriers Clinton faces in her bid to become the first female president.

Ferraro has not shied away from discussing the impact of race and gender throughout the Democratic presidential campaign. In March, the former congresswoman told a California newspaper the chief reason Obama's candidacy was successful was because he was black.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she told The Daily Breeze. "And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Ferraro also said Clinton had been the victim of a "sexist media."

Obama later called those comments "ridiculous," and Clinton said she disagreed with them.

Ferraro maintained her comments were not racist, but ultimately resigned from the Clinton campaign after they caused an uproar.

"The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen," she wrote in her resignation letter to Clinton, adding, "I am who I am and I will continue to speak up."

soundoff(1,092 Responses)

Eddie B.

I think that the Clinton supporters that have chosen to polarize the party and make such wild accusations about Barack being "terribly sexists" sets the women's movement back tremendously. They are actually perpetrating the stereotype of a woman's scorn instead of being rational and smart about our future. To even suggest that they will not vote for him, but instead McCain is outrageous. They will set the Supreme Court to be conservative which means goodbye to Pro-Choice and Affirmative Action. I have to say that this negative campaign by Hillary has divided the party and has really seperated two groups (Minorities and Women) that were struggling together for years for equal rights.

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Paris

Ferraro was correct when she said Obama wouldn't be where he is
if he wasn't black. Why Obama supporters have so much problem with the truth?
The only bitter people I see are Obama and his wife and his mentor.

CNN = Politics!!!!

CNN should = truth

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

ginette dumont

Too bad, Geraldine, being bitter and angry is not going to solve America's problem. Time always explain why some people have not succeeded . What kind of a vice- president you would have been ...sexist and racist...Hating Obama and talking about it like normal is not elevating you as a human being. Instead your attitude is showing how extremely bad your radical feminist movement have failed. That white women civil rights movement that have excluded and didn't support the black women civil rights. Don't hate Obama, He is a dignified men, who have worked very intelligently for his campaign success and have been very respectful toward Hillay. It's not fair and your vote is not important. History will judge you...

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Concerned Citizen in CO

what a blow hard – get a life Geraldine ... didn't I see you in Drviing Miss Daisy

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

champislove

She need to do worst then find a rock and craw under it. his bitter woman has a problem with black people and she always has.

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Nate

How about some examples? What makes Obama a sexist?? To me it seems like these are just comments she's making out of the blue for political reasons. If you don't have anything to base this on how can we agree? I'd be interested in her point of view if she would support it. If not, stop injecting yourself and gender into this race.

Unless she's has more info people should stop giving her a platform to speak nonsense.

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

COLONEL

FERRARO WHO? SHE'S A RELIC WHO'S TRYING JUST TO GET
SOME OR ANY PUBLICITY. SHE'S BEEN BRAIN DEAD SINCE HER
SCANDAL.. DON'T EVEN GIVE IT A THOUGHT WHEN THE NAME
G.FERRARO IS MENTIONED.........PLEEEEZE

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Zoe

Are Democrats really so stupid they would fail to support getting the dangerous Republican party out of power, because they couldn't get they own way....boo-hoo.

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Nancy in Fort Myers FL

I definitely feel that the media has set the tone for this campaign and yes they were very sexist. If Hillary had gotten a fair shake like Obama just imagine how much further she would be, but unfortuately life isn't fair is it?
And no I will not be voting in this election, first and for most because I am a Floridian and I don't like the way we have been treated either.
Funny Obama talks about uniting the country, well he left two very important states out.
So much for being a uniter.
Keep going Hillary we are behind you 100%

May 19, 2008 12:39 pm at 12:39 pm |

Charles

Why would any Democrat, especially a female, vote for McCain? Electing him will get more bailouts of mortgage firms (Bear Sterns packaged mortgages up into securities to sell–which allowed predatory lending practices to occurr), let Wall Street manage Social Security, permit Prudential to run health care, and get a couple more Roberts, Scalia and Thomas's on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade...........

Do you really want to destroy the country that badly?

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Jeanne

Ferraro must no have gotten the message – UNITE the Democrats, don't divide them.

Stop the bickering......and start thinking about how to beat the republican hate machine.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Cicero

Also – by the way – to all those who will only vote Democrat if Hillary is the nominee – you are off your rocker...

If you really were concerned about the future of this Country and this World AND the Democratic platform is what you believe can make things better, then you would vote for either of the candidates from that Party.

The fact that you cannot see how damaging it would be to have Mr. McCain in the White House is clear evidence of just how messed up this Nation is. The prize is not having Ms. Clinton win nor is it to even have the Democratic party win – it is to try and reverse the last 8 years of complete hell and mismanagement that has occurred under the cronyism of the Bush family and White House. How anyone cannot see that is amazing however I do take great comfort in knowing that when pressed, not a single Republican supporter I have conversed with has an intellectual argument in favor of another Republican White House.

With that said, your mission should be to right this Nation and that is ONLY achieved by a non-Repubican President. I could easily support this intellectually but there is nowhere near enough space on this blog...e-mail directly to debate...

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Dr. Sam

WHO CARES? Geraldine is over-estimating her importance in American political life. This creature of old politics is never constructive or positive, but always spoiling for a fight (shadow boxing I might say since Obama is not interested), always combative, negative, divisive and gutter-sniping.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Amy

I read the article, and Ferraro doesn't even back up her accusations with any facts. What a horrible and reckless statement to throw out to the voters! It's no wonder Clinton's campaign failed -she surrounded herself with party members like Ferraro, who care only about getting Clinton in the White House than what's best for the party and the nation. She gives democrats and women in general a bad name.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

BBB

Mar:

You say "All the women in this country should unite and descend on Denver to have our voices heard. This race has been a sham. The media ought to be cut off at the knees. If I can't vote for Hillary, I will vote McCain. We cannot allow Obama into the White House."

It used to be folks voted for the party no matter who was the candidate... I thought that frame of mind was pathetic. But yours is just as bad... are you saying that as a woman I should feel obligated to vote for the candidate I feel is the LEAST qualified just because she is a woman?!

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Enlightened Voter

Way to be a real democrat there girl. You are from the old school where you not only can't concieve of ever voting for a black man but will not have it.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Phong Nguyen

By endorsing S. Obama in the beginning, S. Ted Kennedy has sown the first seed of division in the Democratic Party and we are paying for it now!!!

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

CG

The Clintons and their surrogates never cease to act like republicans. Throughout this entire campaign, the Clintons and their surrogates have ripped page after page from the republican playbook. Frankly, their behavior has driven many devoted democrats–like myself–off.

I supported John Edwards; after he dropped out of the race, I was not hard pressed to give my support to Obama–the Clintons' republican tactics made my choice easy. If I wanted to vote republican, then I'd vote republican. However, as a democrat, I will never vote for a democrat who behaves like a republican in a campaign.

Bottom line: If you can't trust the Clintons and their surrogates to be true to democrat principles during the campaign, you can't trust them to be true to democrat principles if elected to office.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

DARLA

GOOD FOR HER FOR TELLING IT LIKE IT IS! THE TRUTH IS "WHAT IT IS"...AND SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY ARE SO HUNG UP ON BEING "POLITICALLY CORRECT" THEY ARE BLINDED BY SEEING THE TRUTH!

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

TSS from STL

To: Rus in St.Paul, MN – Thank You.. couldn't have said it any better.

To the very angry Clinton supporters (and would be McCain converts): Have you been paying attention to what's going on in America today? Our friends and relatives continue to die in Iraq, the poor are getting poorer, the government continues to become more and more corrupt, and our rights are being stripped away at every opportunity. WAKE UP, please. This is BIGGER than Obama or Clinton. This is about the American people and the state of OUR Union. Will the REAL Democrats please stand up?

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

It's Over

McCain/Ferraro 08

If they can find their bearings.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

George

In a vain attempt to make you Democrats think...

So you say Ferraro is just trying to stay in the public eye. If she is so desperate to have a news camera turned on her, where has she been since she and Mondale got creamed?

Doing what she was doing.

But now that she dares to speak out against Emperor Obama, she is vilified as a feminist ambulance-chaser, who is just eager to get her face in the news.

Think about it. Come on, think about it. See? Maybe she IS allowed her opinion. Wow. Freedom, what a concept.

May 19, 2008 12:40 pm at 12:40 pm |

Sammy

Great. So, Ferraro has a problem with what she perceives as Obama's "sexist" attitude. Fine. Then she can vote for the much-less sexist John McCain - a man who has claimed that he would do more to overturn Roe v Wade, will not do anything to help women with family planning, and who has taken a dubious stance on other human-rights issues, especially where women are concerned.

What bothers me the most though is how CNN seems to think that this is news-worthy. It isn't. What Geraldine Ferraro thinks doesn't matter, because she is a LOSER. SHE LOST in 1984, so she is a loser. Losers don't count in this country. ONLY WINNERS do. Barack Obama is a winner, and the losers can get off at the next stop.